What does counsel mean?
Word: Counsel
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Counsel means to listen to someone with a problem and guide them towards a good decision. As a noun, it is a formal word for wise guidance.
Sounds like: council (a group of people chosen to run a town or city)
How do you spell counsel?
Syllables: coun - sel
Tricky part: Its twin sounds exactly the same, so the middle of the word is the trap. Pupils often write a c there, but this word has an s.
Watch out for: councel, cownsel
Memory tip: A wise friend's words are never for sale. Let the s of sale remind you which letter belongs here.
Counsel in a sentence
Example 1: Teachers at our school counsel pupils who are unsure about their subject choices.
Example 2: A good coach will counsel young players on how to handle a defeat.
Example 3: My aunt counsels college students who cannot decide on a career.
Fun Fact
The sound-alikes counsel and council may look like one family, but they come from two different Latin words. People have been muddling them for centuries.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
counsel
a) advise
b) ignore
c) admire
d) mislead
Show answer
a) advise. Both words are about helping someone decide what to do.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
counsell
a) u
b) s
c) n
d) l
Show answer
d) l. The base word stops after one of this letter.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
c_uns_l
a) a, e
b) o, e
c) o, i
d) o, a
Show answer
b) o, e. The opening vowel pair is the one in count, and the ending is the weak sound written like the end of towel.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) persuaide
b) recomend
c) concience
d) counsel
Show answer
d) counsel. Conscience has an s before the c, recommend has two m's, and persuade has no i.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Whose job is it to counsel people?
a) a museum night guard
b) a stage lighting technician
c) a careers officer at college
d) a train ticket inspector
Show answer
c) a careers officer at college
2. Mrs Rao decided to counsel two quarrelling friends. She probably ____.
a) moved them to other classes
b) talked it through with them
c) sent them home early
d) gave them extra homework
Show answer
b) talked it through with them
